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1920s Essay
1920s Essay After World War I, many of the once-powerful European countries had been left in war-torn conditions and had difficulties adjusting to peacetime. Britain’s economy declined, Germany was weakened, and France was left in ruins, but the United States emerged relatively unscathed. The country had lost fewer troops, resources, and less money than their European counterparts, and as a result, was now left in a position of unparalleled power. The war energized the American economy and its businesses, leading the nations into an age of prosperity. To shake off post-war gloom, President Warren G. Harding promised a return to “normalcy” in politics, but socially, the 1920s were anything but. The country was experiencing a shift in its collective consciousness and culture. However, much of the social developments of the time had been brewing for centuries and the war only quicken these changes. One of the most notable social changes was the role of women in American society, which had been slowly evolving for decades. The cultural revolution of the ‘20s was embodied by the image of the ‘flapper’, which were young women who defined a new style of dress and defied conventional views of what was considered to be ‘ladylike’. Traditionally, women were seen as lesser than men, and their work was reduced to mostly household duties instead of having actual jobs. Before America entered the war, women’s rights had been a staple of the Progressive Era. Different women’s groups advocated for a variety of causes, such as workplace reform and health care, but a shared goal between them was gaining political rights. Prominent members of the movement like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked tirelessly to achieve this end. After years of advocacy, women were given more privileges, but the right to vote still eluded them. The women’s suffrage movement continued on from the the late 1800s into the 1900s, and with America’s entry into WWI, they were finally given a chance prove themselves equal to men. Although not able to serve in combat, during the war, women served as substitutes to men in workforce. They found work on farms, in factories, and at desk jobs, with some even gaining managerial positions. They also were vital in the war efforts. As a part of Herbert Hoover’s plan to distribute food and goods to men in battle, women played a big role, as they were encouraged to ration out food, use less essential ingredients, and let no meal go to waste. Women felt a sense of patriotism and were eager to participate. Two years after the war ended, the 19th amendment was passed, which, at last, gave women the right to vote. The decade of the ‘20s also saw a reduction in immigration, but greater social mobility for racial minorities, specifically African Americans. Due to the shortage of workers in wartime, and a lack of immigrants, African Americans and Mexican Americans workers helped fill this gap. Many African Americans had moved north for these new job opportunities and to escape the intense racial prejudice in the south. Pre-war, African Americans had made strides in the early 1900s by forming the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) with the help of Progressive reformers, but their plight for the most part saw no resolution, as workplace discrimination and lynchings continued. This Great Migration changed the demographic makeup of many states and steadily added blacks to the greater workforce, and like women, gave them access to various jobs that they had been deprived of before. Post-war, discrimination against minorities continued in the workplace and in society at large. Although still disenfranchised socially and economically, African Americans migrants in these northern cities rose to prominence in mass media in part for their invention of jazz music and role in the Harlem Renaissance. With these new platforms, African Americans like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston were able to express themselves to the masses, and for the first time, whites took notice and actually respected it. Both movements were early displays of blacks drawing on the circumstances of their conditions to create art, and to empower their people. Perhaps the biggest change of the '20s was the actual creation of mass media and how its growth helped with the spread the era's new cultural movements and ideas. After WWI ended, many Americans were looking for an escapes from its still-fresh horrors and the resulting gloom it had cast over the country. The desire to move pass it and seek new outlets gave the '20s a spirit of modernity, which is a break from tradition. These feelings showed heavily in the entertainment of the time. The invention of new technologies, such as the radio, brought together different regions of America, along with their varying mindsets and taste. No longer was the news just a source of information, but it had also become a wellspring of entertainment in tabloids, which helped created common cultural experiences. The desire for fun and lightness was represented through jazz and dance, and the glamorous image of movie stars (especially women) portrayed through the rising Hollywood film industry both influenced nation culture. However, not all Americans appreciated these new developments taking place, and naturally, a generational divide opened between the new and old societies, which was evident with the split of urban and rural communities. The social changes of the 1920s however had already taken hold of America, and their momentum only continued into future decades. The first world war had a great impact on social development in America, but most of the changes were already rooted in the countries history.